Nathaniel Alvarado

Period 1

10/23/22

HEY! HEY! ST. MATTHEW

During 17th century Italy, Baroque art arose in response to the religious instability within

the Church in place of the Counter-Reformation and the Protestant Reformation. The Church

became a rearising patron of art to maintain its centrality and dominance of Catholicism, as a

result, the art became overly didactic to teach the masses and find a sense of reconnection to the

public. Still, much disdain arrived towards Baroque art, due to its “inferiority” to the

Renaissance and its perfectionism. Over time, the reevaluation of Baroque art caused it to be

seen on a more dynamic scale and is now compared to Hellenistic art due to its methods of

classical models, dynamism, and theatricality. Among these Baroque artists, Caravaggio,

influenced much of Europe through his unique methods like extreme Chiaroscuro, extreme

naturalism/realism in religious works, and overall breaking of social norms, creating a single

masterpiece, Calling of Saint Matthew (Kleiner, 2009; Martin Jr., 1955).

The Calling of Saint Matthew was originally painted with oil on canvas, a popular

method that allows for greater detail and vibrant colors. The use of stark contrast between light

and darkness, primarily on Christ and St. Matthew, represents Caravaggio’s renowned style,

Chiaroscuro (Kleiner, 2009). The usage of Chiaroscuro gives us a heightened sense of naturalism

and realism, almost as if we could “interact” with the characters. Chiaroscuro is implied on a

horizontal plane through diagonal beams of light (Upper Right to the head of St. Matthew) that

aids in the sense of lostness between Christ and St. Matthew. While emitting such emotions, the
painting remains in an earthbound/commonplace setting with a definite groundline through the

use of sitting and standing characters in a contemporary manner, even though it's meant to show

a religious scene (Dr. Harris and Dr. Zucker, 2017; Culler, 2007). The painting draws our eyes

from right to left, with the entry of Christ and Peter, then moves over to the group of tax

collectors through the pointing hand of Jesus and light (Shmoop).

Caravaggio's Calling of Saint Matthew depicts the moment when Jesus calls St. Matthew

to a higher calling (spiritual awakening/moment of transition) inside a tavern with unadorned

walls. Jesus is depicted with a thin halo above his head and behind Peter only seeing his head

and one of his arms, which is pointing to St. Matthew. Jesus’s gesture of pointing is highly

reminiscent of that of Michelangelo's Creation of Adam due to the idea that Jesus is the second

Adam. As Jesus points to St. Matthew, there seems to be confusion between them, St. Matthew is

only identifiable with the light from an unseen source and points at himself with vigor, while his

other hand reaches towards the money which gives the sense of wrongness. The other figures are

tax collectors, counting the money they have collected in 17th-century attire, while one looks

over to the right as if someone/something else entered the room. In addition, Peter is ever so

slightly pointing at St. Matthew as if he’s reassuring Jesus’s decision, aiding in the sense of

lostness (Kleiner, 2009; Dr. Harris and Dr. Zucket, 2017; Shmoop).

The Calling of Saint Matthew located in the Church Saint Luigi dei Francesi in Rome

was commissioned by Cardinal del Monte. Caravaggio, a man reputable of his past actions and

violence was told to make a series of artworks that included, Inspiration of Saint Matthew,

Martyrdom of St. Matthew, and Calling of Saint Matthew. During the making of all three

artworks, primarily the Calling of Saint Matthew, the Counter-Reformation was finally in motion

and taking effect through the Council of Trent all throughout Europe. As events transpired, Pope
Paul III declared the 1600’s a holy year and that Rome would be a place of populus that everyone

would travel to. Due to this idea of a revival of people and their faith, the Calling of Saint

Matthew was aimed at the ordinary people, which could be seen with St. Matthew’s

contemporary clothing giving the impression that St. Matthew could be anyone, affecting the

creation of the work. The creation of such a symbolic piece was meant to teach the masses, and

return them to their original faith. (Shmoop)

Caravaggio’s expression of his ideologies and methods in Calling of Saint Matthew

represents his greatness as a Baroque artist and is the visual epitome of Baroque art. It provides

us a sense of connection and symbolic representation of religious scenes, almost as if we could

be the person transforming to faith. The sense of interaction due to the highly realistic motions

and the use of Chiaroscuro, almost causes a balance of harmonies within the artwork, supporting

the purpose of teaching and reconnecting the people of the Catholic faith, while restoring the

power of the Church. Even if people may have found Baroque art as a disgrace, it's a period of

art that realistically depicts the people, rather than perfect bodies which couldn’t be feasible, it's

the perfect representation of human life, interactions, etc. in the olden time.
 References:

Camiz, F. T. (1990). Death and Rebirth in Caravaggio’s “Martyrdom of St. Matthew.” Artibus et
Historiae, 11(22), 89–105. https://doi.org/10.2307/1483401

Culler, Matthew B. (2007). Self-Reference in Caravaggio’s Calling of St. Matthew, North Carolina

Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker, "A-Level: Caravaggio, Calling of St. Matthew," in
Smarthistory, July 17, 2017, accessed October 25, 2022,
https://smarthistory.org/caravaggio-calling-of-st-matthew-2/.

Hatzfeld, H. (1955). The Baroque from the Viewpoint of the Literary Historian. The Journal of Aesthetics
and Art Criticism, 14(2), 156–164. https://doi.org/10.2307/425853

Klenier, F.S. (2009). Gardner’s Art Through the Ages: A Global History. Boston, MA:
Wadsworth, Cengage Learning

Martin, J. R. (1955). The Baroque from the Point of View of the Art Historian. The Journal of Aesthetics
and Art Criticism, 14(2), 164–171. https://doi.org/10.2307/425854

SHMOOP, AP Art History, Calling of Saint Matthew (Caravaggio)

https://schools.shmoop.com/ap-art-history/review-topic-CF0E3B7F9DDD4485BFA5D13B21116
F7E-356819A826AC46AA9169E529B3345208